A new regional dementia awareness training programme has launched for all Health and Social Care staff across Northern Ireland, alongside workers in the independent and community & voluntary sectors who support people living with the condition. The e-learning module, announced to coincide with Dementia Action Week, represents the first region-wide initiative of its kind as dementia prevalence is projected to rise from 25,000 people today to 43,000 by 2040.
The programme aims to deepen understanding of the lived experience of dementia and provide practical guidance on supporting individuals in hospital, at home, or in care facilities. It comes as official statistics show dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were the leading causes of death in Northern Ireland during the third quarter of 2025.
Training Rollout and Collaboration
The Department of Health has made the training available immediately, with the formal launch timed to mark Dementia Action Week 2026 (18–24 May). The programme was developed by the HSC Clinical Education Centre in partnership with the Regional Dementia Project Board, Health and Social Care staff, people living with dementia, Queen’s University, Ulster University, and the community & voluntary sector.
- Target audience: All HSC staff, plus independent sector and community & voluntary sector workers who have contact with service users who have dementia
- Current prevalence: At least 25,000 people living with dementia in Northern Ireland, projected to rise to 43,000 by 2040
- Additional resource: The Department has also funded a specialist dementia relationship training e-resource developed through Queen’s University to promote person-centred, rights-based care
- Access: HSC staff can access the awareness training through internal channels; independent and C&V sector staff can access it via the Clinical Education Centre website; the relationship training is available at dementiarelationships.org.uk
Minister’s Statement
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt highlighted the urgency of improving dementia care as Northern Ireland faces the highest projected prevalence rate of dementia anywhere in the UK. He said:
“I am delighted to announce this training as we begin Dementia Action Week.
“My Department is committed to providing high-quality training for all staff, including for those working directly with people living with dementia across a range of care settings.
“Northern Ireland is estimated to have at least 25,000 people currently living with dementia, and that number is projected to rise to 43,000 people by 2040. Northern Ireland is also projected to have the highest prevalence dementia rate compared to its UK counterparts.
“Ensuring that staff are equipped with the correct training to care appropriately for those with dementia is therefore of paramount importance.
“The eLearning awareness module offers guidance on how to effectively support individuals living with dementia and helps staff enhance the quality of care provided to them and their carers, whether in hospital, at home, or within care facilities.”
Context and Unanswered Questions
While the training launch has been welcomed, the announcement leaves several operational details unclear. The Department has not specified the budget allocated to develop and maintain the programme, nor has it indicated whether completion will be mandatory for all care staff or how uptake will be monitored across the independent and community & voluntary sectors. There is also no timeline for when the training might be extended to other professional groups or family carers.
The initiative arrives against a backdrop of sustained concern about dementia funding and policy implementation. The Regional Dementia Care Pathway, published in 2018 to establish a service model for high-quality care, remains only partially implemented. Alzheimer’s Society has previously warned that Northern Ireland faces a £300 million shortfall in health funding and that the pathway requires an estimated £12 million investment to deliver fully—funding that has not yet materialised in multi-year budgets.
Meanwhile, mental health services—often overlapping with dementia care—remain chronically underfunded. Data from MindWise indicates that only £12.3 million (16% of required funding) has been invested in Mental Health Strategy actions to date, suggesting broader systemic pressures that could affect the workforce’s capacity to implement new training effectively.
Strategic Context and Service Pressures
With dementia now the leading cause of death in Northern Ireland and diagnosis rates varying significantly across regions, the training represents a necessary but modest step toward system-wide improvement. The Regional Dementia Project Board, established in May 2024, has identified education as a key workstream, yet experts continue to stress that training alone cannot compensate for gaps in diagnostic services, social care reform, and workforce capacity.
Questions remain about how this digital training will integrate with hands-on clinical supervision and whether it will be supplemented by the tiered competency framework recommended in national standards. As the population ages and pressure on acute services intensifies—with one in six hospital beds currently occupied by dementia patients—the effectiveness of this training in reducing crises and improving quality of life will be closely watched.
Questions for Stakeholders
- How will the Department monitor completion rates and assess the impact of this training on care quality across independent and voluntary sector providers?
- What specific budget has been allocated to ensure all 25,000+ care staff can access this training, and will it become a mandatory requirement for registration?
- Given the incomplete implementation of the 2018 Regional Dementia Care Pathway, how does this training align with broader plans to reduce diagnosis waiting times and improve post-diagnostic support?
- Will the Department commit to funding Tier 2 and Tier 3 specialist dementia training for clinical staff, beyond this foundational awareness module?
- How will the training address the specific needs of the growing number of people with young-onset dementia, given that current services remain predominantly focused on older populations?